New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-04
TIE CONSTITUTIONAL CONTENTION.
SOME PERTINENT CRITICISMS OF SPEAKER HUs-
TED's BILL.

CODY of bill to provide ior the election OF members OF
the Constitutional Convention which the people have
voted to hold This bill is, am informed the same
which has been introduced into the Assembly by Mr.
Hu.ted and of which Tue TRIBUNE has spoken favor
abIv though must believe without fully approaching
the effect OF its provisions.
w ak the privilege OF calling attention to few of
those provisions which seem TO me extraordinary to
be proposed by any one and most extraordinary to
be favored by any citizen OF the cities OF Newly Ork
The bill provides for the election OF thirty-two
delegates from the State at large and applies to them
the principle OF minority representation by providing
that no voter shall vote for more than halt that
ber In view 81 the nearly equal division of parties in
the State this is apparently not Objectionable.
The bill next takes up the twenty-five Senatorial
Districts outside OF New-York Kings md Richmond
counties and provides for the election o! three dele
gates from each Senatorial District, but allows no
voter to vote for than two OF the three delegated
In other words each voter in these districts s given,
to speak, power OF twothirds relatively to the
number of delegates to be elected. He is allo ed
voice in the election OF twothrds OF the delegates who
are to represent him and the other voters in the
district. This is probably not Objectionable But
when we come to New.York Brooklyn and Richmond
dnd the extraordinary features have referred to.
On the theory that the division OF New-York City and
Brooklyn into Senatorial Districts is arbitrary
geographical lines with no local feeling interest
among the voters in each Senate District the City OF
New York with Including Richmond its seven Senate
Districts is treated as whole and to 1t are given
twenty-one delegates. SO Brooklyn is treated as q
whole and to it given nine delegates. This CON
solidatng aggregating Senate Districts in these
cities lie perhaps deensible at any rate, do not
question it. But when come to the way in which
the voters in these cities to be treated find that
of the twenty-one delegates TO be elected from New
York and Richmond no voter can vote LOT more than
seven. So of the nine to be elected III Brooklyn, no
vote for more than three. In other words,
while in all the rest of the State each voter is TO be
allowed TO vote for twOthrds of the delegates who
represent him and his fellow citizens, voter
in New-York and Brooklyn can vote tor more than
one-third of his representatives Why this degrade
ton this Acknowledgement OF the voters in New York
and Brooklyn Why should a voter in Brooklyn or
only tor one-thrd OF those who to represent him.
while voter Just across the river In Long Island City
is considered good enough TO vote tor twothrds OF
those who 10 represent him Are the voters OF
Long Island City so much moro competent and liz
tell gent than those OF New-loik City and Brooklyn
that the former should each be given twice much
voting power the latter And are the voters of
Richmond County so DEGRADED ny BENG united h win
worthy ndlvio ually of only half as much bower ut
the POLLS the voters of Long Island City or OF
Queens OF Westcbeser or OF Albany Is the voter
in lbany- which constitutes Senatorial District
twice as intelligent and twice rs competent az voter
in Kings New York, that he should be given twice
the voting pow,ri
Ii the answer s-as suppose it is--that 1t is no
question OF the intelligence competence OF the voter
but that the arrangement IL proposed so as 10 give
room for large element or large traction oil voters III
New York and Brooklyn who may choose to separate
themselves from either OF the great parties To elect
representatives. ask If to accommodate these by ar
bitrariy yarying the voting power of voters by
geographical lincsis not minority representation run
madl L. there justice III substantially imposing
partial disiranchisemen voters III tins city and
Rrooklyn in order Introduce here, and here only,
an extreme phase of the doctrine OF the representation
OF minorc~ 1t mninizcs each voter under the idea
of giving power TO aggregate sns and fractions here.
while il does no such thing in the country. where
other aud think cOmmcndable isins are repre-
scented by considerable mlnoritics But even sup.
posing that this is proper thing to do why should
not the same elements which are TO be especially
cared tor in NewY ork and Kings Toe equally cared Tor
in Albany and Troy and Buffalo where they exist in
large numb-rs-indecd, believe IN numbers proper
tionally az great as New-York and Brooklyni This
is wholly apart from the fact that do not believe these
elements will be grateful for this local distinction IN
their favor when II delegates are elected by Assembly
Districts they would undoubtedly secure more
representation than under the proposed bill II
Thought such a hill was the only the best way TO
secure the presence III the Convention of a fair |
representation of the honest leaders OF the labor
movement should hesitate to say word against H. |
But it does to that ia only necessary 10 call
attention to this feature of the bill to secure Its
defeat essential amendment
find there il curiosity TO knoS what the prob
able result of the hill II passed. Will be politically
While | do not think politics ought to enter INTO the
question. vet know il will As analyzo the bill The
result will he rs iOlOw-:
From tue State large it "ll give thriytwo dele
gates or sixteen from each party OF the twenty-five
Senate Districts outside OF Newfork. Kings and
Richmond eighteen represented by Rcpubli-
cans and tour 10y Democrats. Surprising the political
Jivision in these Districts TO remain the ut the
election for delegates the Republican, under The
applies ton OF minority representation "ouid eject
under the bill thirty ak delegates ami the Democrats
eighteen. But it IL not probable that the Republicans
would carry the Orange ana SULLIVAN OF ,he 'ls'eI
District while the other hand they ought 10 carry
The Saratoga and Montgomery DistGlct. III tue 'oH
in the twenty-five Senatorial Districts ia the sa ne az
now then the Republicans wOuld secure IRON the
State large aud from these twenty two Districts
frtv six delegates and the Democrats ortytwo dele
gates II the Republicans Loot The Ulster and Orange
Districts they would nave dty-four amid the DEM
Gratis forty four II, losing these, they gained the
Saratoga District the Republicans would have fifty
five and the Democrats iCrty-thrce.
in New-York City under the bill the Republican,
would get seven ana in Kings three, giving them III
all sixtysix delegates against 1xiytwo opposition
the country Senate districts vote at present or Il
the Orange and Ulster Districts lo.t sixty tour 10
sixty four, aud If tho Saratoga District is gained,
siXt, five to sixty-thIee.
1t may contribute TO the complete understanding OF
the effect of the bill II add that on the basis OF the
vote of last November, under the bill III the Senate
districts outside OF Ncw-York, Kings and Richmond.
649,02O voters will elect sxty-sx delegates or one
for each $3.50 voters. New-York and Richmond
cleo, tweniy one delegates Tor each 10, 4O3
voters Kings County elects nnc delegates OF for
each II 1873 voters. that county being apparently
deprived OF at least delegate. because. il its
proper number given it. there would be difficulty
in app wing the doctrine OF minority representation
| Neu- York, Feb !, 1887. GEORGE BLISS.
1.-THE Bnsted bill has been considered in these col
uinns only the best of these constitutional con
yenton measures which we have thus far examined.
Mr.. Blisss criticisms upon it undoubtedly deserve
careful consideration though We confess that they
| have not vet quite convinced us that an Organ:za
ton which poed Gs 900 votes in this city at the last
| Mayoraltv election should not be entitled to Some
distinct recognition outside the Democratic party,
| from which it's strength was mainly drawn
There is a clear objection to the Hustled bill which
| Mr. Bliss does not mention. Ii provides that in
Gaze n vacancy occurs l'y of the death, resg
nation or otherwise of any delegate the same
may be filled by the Governor" Tho Legislature OF
1867 dd better i'll providing that the vacancies IN
the constitutional Convention of that year should
be filled at Il SPECIAL eection.-Ldl
SHOOTING A NBEk OF THE "STABLE GANG"
Daniel j. Sulliy all, ner:ber OF the Stable gang
was shot in the head and thwat and dangerously,
wounded last night, in the einmill OF Patrick hurley
| of No 10 Washingt St. by member Of the " West